


Wherein Claire Finds Her Father

by ashes



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Drama, Future Fic, Gen, M/M, Tumblr Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-03
Updated: 2011-09-03
Packaged: 2017-10-23 09:34:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/248830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashes/pseuds/ashes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A road trip brings Claire overnight to Lawrence, where she sees the father she'd long since given up hope on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wherein Claire Finds Her Father

It’s the summer between her a freshman and sophomore year of college when her roommate says, “Let’s go to California!” They pack up Claire’s car, invite her roommate’s boyfriend and this guy Claire is maybe-sort-of dating, and off they go.

Late that night they’re driving out of Kansas City on I-70, and Claire sees the signs for Lawrence. “Sasha,” she says, nudging her roommate awake.

“Huh?”

“Let’s get a hotel in Lawrence, it’s not far.”

“Yeah, sure, whatever.”

***

They go downtown the next morning for breastfast. It’s so humid that they’re sweating at 10AM. “It’s all the way down there,” Sasha’s boyfriend says while he covers his phone against the glare. “Two more blocks and we are in bagel heaven.”

Claire laughs. “Bagel heaven? It’s a  _chain_ , how heavenly could it be?” She rubs sleep out of her eyes and looks around, at the low buildings and smiling people walking around them — and there he is. She rubs her eyes again, this time trying to will the image away. It’s not the first time she’s had this mirage, but this time it doesn’t go away. He’s across the street, holding a young boy’s hand and laughing. She can just hear it over the traffic between them.

Her heart takes control even while her head tries to cool it down — Claire darts across the street mindless of the car that nearly hits her and her friends shouting after her, and her mouth opens before she can stop herself: “Daddy!”

She stops at the curb, breathing heavy. He’s staring at her, and the boy (her age when Castiel had taken her father and left) looks confused. But it’s not him. One look into his eyes and she can see the almost-imperceptible light of Castiel within her father’s shell.

Ten years, and Castiel was still riding her father. “Claire,” he says, frozen in spot. “How?”

“Accident,” she chokes out, trying to breathe through the disappointment. “Drove in late last night on vacation; we’re leaving after breakfast.”

“Uncle Cas, why did she call you daddy?”

Ten years, and here he is, in jeans and a t-shirt (and a wedding band, now that she thinks to look for it) and walking downtown on a Tuesday morning with a nephew. There’s a sprinkling of grey at his temples, enough to show the age that Castiel should have never let befall his vessel. Claire wipes away the tears that threaten to fall, and shakes her head. “I was mistaken — Castiel here looks just like my father.”

“Who was your father?”

Claire tries to smile, but her faces feels so wooden. “You must be… Sam Winchester’s son, right?” Castiel looks at his feet, and Claire almost laughs because she remembers. She remembers those minutes that felt like hours as Castiel’s vessel, remembers how cold and vicious he had been, and remembers the one spot of warmth that Castiel couldn’t surpress.  

The boy nods and holds out a hand. “I’m John.”

“Hi, John,” she says as she shakes his hand. “I’m Claire. Your dad and uncles worked with my father before he died.” She looks at Castiel for one more second of hope before he nods, just slightly, just enough. “It’s been a long time. I forgot for a second.”

“It’s okay,” Castiel says. He moves. Stops abruptly, then wraps Claire in a hug, holds her tight to the chest that used to be her father’s. “I’m sorry,” he whispers in her ear as she cries quietly against his shoulder. “I didn’t understand until it was too late.”

**Author's Note:**

> I originally wrote this [on Tumblr](http://www.scattering-ashes.com/post/7620144804/wherein-claire-finds-her-father) a while back, and realized I hadn't shared it. I like Claire; I feel like the fallout of Castiel within her family would leave a pretty large scar.


End file.
